From the Orlando Sentinel: It’s a rewarding combination of cardiovascular endurance, problem solving and great scenery — a test of the mind, as well as the body. Participants use color-coded topographical maps showing plant life, water features and other natural…
Hiking
Getting lost, and found
by tmangan • March 15, 2006 • 4 Comments
I happened across this link to a story about a guy who got himself and his girlfriend good and lost on a day hike at Mount Tamalpais north of San Francisco. They ended up stranded in the dark seven miles…
Start cold
by tmangan • March 10, 2006 • 0 Comments
A thread at Hiker’s HQ muses on the challenges of staying dry while getting your heart rate up in cold weather. What we always do, is start our adventures cold. We strip off our outer layer, and tough it out…
Take your toddler along
by tmangan • March 10, 2006 • 0 Comments
Here’s an intro to some of those baby-hauling packs. With all of our carriers, the baby rides behind the adult’s shoulder blades, facing front. Each also had a kickstand that allowed the pack to be set on the ground with…
Water-crossing tips
by tmangan • March 9, 2006 • 0 Comments
A thread at rec.backcountry discusses the safest ways to cross high water. For my money the safest way is to find a bridge; other than that, all options are less than optimal. One thing I always underestimate is how slippery…
Wanted: anti-baboon canisters
by tmangan • March 9, 2006 • 0 Comments
Seems the hikers in South Africa are being hassled by baboons with a taste for human food. After the baboons had rummaged through their bags at leisure, the hikers carried on, but 45 minutes later were faced by another troop.…
Another month in the Sahara
by tmangan • March 7, 2006 • 0 Comments
ConstantTrek is updated again. Astounds me how time and again this little blog has one fascinating post after another.
Cap it off with a Cabernet
by tmangan • March 6, 2006 • 0 Comments
Here’s an interesting combination: hiking and wine tasting. A guy named Russ who lives in Sunnyvale got laid off from his tech-writing job last spring so he decided to go the entrepreneur/tour operator route. His prices range from $65 for…
An intro to GPS
by tmangan • March 6, 2006 • 1 Comment
This Boston Globe story has a nice introduction to GPS for hikers. A map and compass may be so yesterday, but Ouellette and O’Bannon advise hikers never to rely exclusively on their GPS units. For starters, human error can be…